


Could I Choose You?

by emeraldvixen



Series: WTHH verse [1]
Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Angst, Caroline is a witch, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Mutual Pining, Not much angst don't panic, Romance, Werewolf! Klaus, alternative universe, klaus is a prince, royal au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:14:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28761624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emeraldvixen/pseuds/emeraldvixen
Summary: A sequel to Worst Things Have Happened by YokanorPressure is mounting for Prince Niklaus to choose a bride. Caroline has kept his secret hidden for three long years, but can she keep her own?
Relationships: Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson
Series: WTHH verse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2158008
Comments: 26
Kudos: 170





	Could I Choose You?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Yokan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yokan/gifts).



> Hi friends, 
> 
> This work is a sequel. It will make absolutely no sense unless you read the Klaroline one-shot work [Worst Things Have Happened by Yokan.](https://www.archiveofourown.org/works/25773028) You're in for a treat, it's the best. 
> 
> Anyway, I asked if I could write fanfiction about her fanfiction and she was kind enough to say yes.
> 
> Also a big thanks to Phandancee74 who commented on Yokan’s work with an idea which I loved and used in here... I hope I did it justice!  
> Please enjoy!

**THIS WORK IS A SEQUEL. IT WILL NOT MAKE SENSE UNLESS YOU HAVE READ YOKAN'S WORST THINGS HAVE HAPPENED.**   
  
  
“Is everything okay? You don’t seem thrilled at the opportunity to see me in all my glory,” Klaus grins.

Caroline’s mind is elsewhere. She knows that she should be putting on a better show - their trips to the forest were usually full of laughter and teasing. She’s just… not up to it today. In a few hours time, the full moon will rise.

The suitor ball was three weeks ago.

Time is running out and the council is pressing Klaus to announce his engagement. She doesn’t hear much in the palace, but she’s heard that rumour enough times to be confident in its validity.

For all his merits, Klaus changes the subject whenever she brings up the night of the ball. She’s grateful for that - she’d like to act as though it didn’t happen too. She’s never been a great actress though.

If she were, she’d play her part without hesitation. She’d banter with him all the way to the forest and doze on the way back. She’d be _simply overjoyed_ when his engagement was announced. She’d even attend the wedding - second row of course, the one for close friends but not quite family. Well, she’d attend if his bride allowed it.

Even though Caroline’s not a good actress, she’ll take a stab at all of those things. She’ll try and make it convincing, even though he can tell which smiles are fake. She’ll do all of it because it’s her duty to the kingdom.

The moonlight ring sitting in her pocket? Not so much.

She had justified it to herself as a private project - something to challenge her magic and test her skill, but there was no denying that the days she had poured into it had been for him.

After weeks of fiddling with the charms, Caroline had presented it to her mother in hopes of a second opinion. When Liz had stopped voicing her disapproval, she’d taken a closer look and confirmed that there would be no way of knowing its viability until it was tested.

 _‘Above and beyond the call of duty’_ is what her mother had said in a tone which had sounded more like a criticism than a compliment.

Perhaps she deserved that. It wasn’t about the curse anymore, it was about Klaus. She’d made the job personal, and that was her fault.

Her failure to compartmentalise is what distracts Caroline as they ride towards the forest.

That, and the ring itself. It is light in her pocket but heavy on her heart.

Caroline knows that she’ll have to give it to him before nightfall. She’s reluctant to hand over something which will give him so much hope, and perhaps fail spectacularly.

She’s felt enough embarrassment over the last few weeks.

And then of course, there is the other outcome - if it works and Klaus can keep his wolf at bay every full moon, then what purpose does she stand to serve? Will she, in overstepping her duty, make herself obsolete?

She’d still be the king’s sorceress-in-training, but with her mother still alive, there was little for her to do. Being the Prince’s mistress was hardly an accolade she rejoiced in, but getting to spend time with Klaus made it… more bearable. When he married off and started to grow his own family, Caroline would be alone. Perhaps he’d call upon her to make his children rings too, if they should ever trigger the curse.

She’d do it.

And she’d have to live with the loneliness for the rest of her life. Was it worth it? Klaus’ freedom for her own happiness?

Since their last trip to the woods, Caroline had spent the first week dreading the ball. The day of, she had sat by the window after her bath and watched as carriage after carriage pulled through the palace gates. Each time a door opened, a new maiden would step forward. At the time, she had wondered which of them would one day live alongside her.

Eventually, Caroline had pulled herself away to get ready. Though there was temptation to make herself ill and have an early night, she steeled herself and did her job. She had donned a fine new dress and styled her hair as best she could.

As always, she arrived in the ballroom early enough. All gold and cream, it was quite beautiful. The palace staff buzzed around, flitting their way through the guests as more made their entrances from the double doors. There were so many women there. Every single maiden of good birth that they could find had flocked under one roof, joined by their chaperones and a few trusted noblemen. Under normal circumstances, the grand hall was her favourite room in the palace, but that night it had tightened her chest.

Her eyes had mapped out where her mother was engaged in conversation with another council member, and then Caroline settled into her usual corner. If this were just another ball, Klaus would find her and walk her out to the dancefloor as the musicians strung up a tune.

She’d already resigned herself to it being an impossibility that night, but the irritation lingered. No one would come within six feet of her, the men because she was as good as claimed, and the ladies in fear that her apparent filth would rub off on them.

It hurt, but after so many years, Caroline was used to it. Besides, she could hide her scowl behind her champagne flute. When a hush had fallen through the throngs, she glanced to the grand staircase.

As was tradition, the ball began with the arrival of the royal family. One by one, they were announced from the top of the stairs and walked down to take their places in the hall.

First Esther, as Queen Mother.

Then Rebekah, in glittering gold. She hadn’t looked pleased initially, but having the eyes of a few hundred jealous women on her was enough to perk her mood.

Kol grinned from ear to ear. Were he not already engaged to be married, Caroline imagined that some of the ladies in attendance would have swooned over him.

Then there was Klaus. He had told her before privately how much he loathed that part. Indeed, she had seen him kick up a fuss more than once, refusing to even entertain the notion of being paraded for the masses. That night there was no such resistance. He didn’t smile, but walked with quick steps to Kol’s side without so much as a glance at those in attendance.

Then came Elijah, as well-dressed as ever. There was no crown in sight, but his presentation alone was regal enough. Several of the ladies began fanning themselves, and Caroline didn’t try to hide her eyeroll. It’s not as though anyone was looking at her, anyway.

The family stood high on the steps as the band gradually lifted its volume to drown out the chattering which erupted. Caroline sipped her champagne and watched as the crowd moved. There were many beautiful dresses to admire. She wondered which would catch the eye of the brothers. Was the future Queen right in front of her?

Her view wasn’t perfect, but from far enough back, she could see what was happening. One by one, chaperones presented their wards to the men. Elijah recognised each name with a polite nod, Kol with a devastating grin and Klaus didn’t acknowledge them at all. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back and looked rather bored.

Caroline had chuckled. The Crown Prince’s foul moods were infamous throughout the kingdom, and it was clear that he had no intention of dispelling the rumours.

Towards the end of the presentation, there was a blonde with tight curls and an emerald dress. From her vantage point, Caroline couldn’t see the girl's face, but no one in the room missed the way Klaus’ twitched. A tiny thing really, just the glimmer of a smirk before he swallowed it back down.

Caroline pushed up to her tiptoes and watched as Elijah leaned over to whisper in Klaus’ ear. Together, they both cracked tiny smiles for the first time.

Was that it? One look at a girl and he had already decided?

The chattering around them only intensified. There were more girls after, though she was loath to watch them. Instead Caroline’s eyes followed the blonde as she circled the dancefloor to stand at the side. She was beautiful - tall, athletic, with high cheekbones and delicate features.

Soon enough, Caroline had tired of staring at strangers. She wondered if this was to be her life from now on - her mother engaged in political matters, her only friend engaged in his duty?

Her champagne had run dry.

When the royals had been adequately introduced to countless suitors, the crowd quietened. Caroline had hummed to herself, lost in a daydream. These balls always went the same way. After the parading, the king danced. After the king danced, the crowd danced. After the crowd danced, the buffet was served. Having eaten very little at lunch, she was looking forward to that bit.

For that reason, Caroline wasn’t even looking when Elijah stepped onto the dancefloor. She would have lost her view anyway in the shifting bodies that came to inhabit her space. None got particularly close of course, but there were enough ladies in front of her that the backs of heads hid most of the action.

Indeed, she didn’t notice what was happening until an “excuse me,” shifted the ladies right in front of her.

Elijah was standing there.

Elijah was standing… _right there?_

“My lady,” he nodded, lifting his palm to her.

There was silence. Looking back, she’s sure she must have seemed slow to everyone in attendance. Caroline probably stared a little too long and shifted a little too much. His eyes followed her.

With her heart in her throat, she placed her hand in his. “Your Majesty.”

Elijah offered her the slightest smile before leading her forwards. His gaze never left hers, and in her shock, she hardly heard the vicious crackle of whispering which broke through the crowd when he took her in his arms.

“Ready?” he hummed low. Did Elijah always have such an intense stare?

“Yes,” she breathed back, and then they were dancing.

It was a feeling unlike any she’d experienced before. Dancing with Klaus was one thing, but dancing with the King another entirely. In that moment, Caroline could feel the gaze of everyone in the ballroom on her skin.

Turns out, Elijah was as fine a dancer as his brother.

Her heart hammered in her chest. It was probably the longest she’d ever looked at Elijah. He’d always been perfectly courteous to her, but as the incoming king he’d had far more important things to do than make friends. The only full conversation they’d ever had consisted of few cordial words when she’d offered condolences at Mikael’s funeral.

She wasn’t a maiden - well, not in the eyes of the horde, at least. Not the most beautiful in the room either, nor the best dressed, and yet there she was, dancing the first dance of the suitor ball with the King.

As he spun her around the floor, the tiniest smile crept onto her face.

For once, she felt the envy of every other woman in the room.

“You look beautiful tonight.”

“Thank you,” she replied without thinking, “Your Highness. I mean, Your Majesty.”

“Relax, Caroline.”

Elijah looked intimidating, but Caroline had spent the last three years hearing about all the silly things he’d done as a child. She couldn’t help but feel as though she knew him. Perhaps the smirk which spread across his face implied that he felt the same way about her.

“If I may,” she began, “why are you dancing with me?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

He said it so quickly with such confidence that Caroline just nodded as though he’d answered her question perfectly well. The music played on.

It’d be easy to say that the rest of the world just floated away, but it certainly didn’t. For those few minutes, Caroline had been aware of every move she made. The tingle of the crowd’s stare made her cheeks flush. She’d debated looking away from his face to see their expressions. Were they jealous? Perhaps awestruck that the King was such an accomplished dancer?

She decided not to look. She didn’t want to know if they were disgusted.

“You are my sorceress-to-be, are you not?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“And my future advisor. And the daughter of a council member. Why should I not be dancing with you?”

Caroline opened her mouth to speak, but found herself struggling for the words. Yes, that’s who she _used_ to be. Before Klaus. Before the entire kingdom thought of her as nothing more than a prince’s plaything.

As though he could sense her reluctance, Elijah continued, “you are the perfect partner for such a lauded tradition. It helps of course, that you are a fine dancer.” As she spun under his arm, Elijah caught her waist and leaned in, “and that it will irritate my dear brother to no end. So everyone wins, really.”

Caroline had snorted, “well thank you, Your Majesty. Though I doubt it’ll have the desired effect, I appreciate any and all efforts to irritate Klaus.”

This time Elijah chuckled, slowing their speed as the music wrapped up.

“Noted,” he muttered, before stepping away and releasing her right hand. Ducking down just a fraction, Elijah pressed his lips to the back of her left for just a second before letting that one fall too.

“Thank you for the dance, Ms Forbes,” he smirked. Caroline was struck by the resemblance to his brother.

Masking her slack jaw into something mimicking a smile of her own, she was quick to curtsey. As polite applause broke through the hall, the musicians kicked up another melody. Around them, other couples began to take to the floor. Just as Caroline turned to reclaim her place in the corner, someone grabbed at her wrist and spun her around.

She landed in waiting arms with a squeak.

“Kol?!”

“Your Majesty,’ if you don’t mind.”

“You’re not the King?” she reasoned, putting a more acceptable amount of space between their bodies, though his hand around her waist made it difficult.

“Semantics. Fancy a dance?”

Caroline had laughed as he pulled her along, “do I have a choice?”

“Good point, well made.”

And then - for the first time _ever_ \- Caroline was dancing with Kol. His wide grin had her smiling right back, though she couldn’t for the life of her work out what was so funny.

Her mind was quickly taken off of his expression, because dancing with Kol took every bit of brain power she possessed. He was _not_ the ideal partner. In fact, it seemed that he had very little care for how the dances were choreographed, and was partial to improvised twists and turns. It was ridiculous really, but Caroline laughed every time he dipped her low.

People were probably staring again.

Kol and Caroline weren’t close - not by a long shot - but she had spent enough time in his presence to know that he was never to be taken seriously.

Besides, it wasn’t as if Caroline had much of a reputation left to ruin.

When the musicians played their last notes, Kol didn’t let go of her hands.

“Come on. Another dance?”

“It’s a suitor ball. You don’t get more than one dance.”

“Ah, you forget that I am engaged.”

And so - since she could hardly refuse a prince - they went around again.

The next time the music stopped, Caroline’s chest heaved at the exertion. Again, she tried to pull her hands from his. Again, Kol held on tight.

“Can I not curtsy and let you find your betrothed?” she hissed through smiling teeth.

Kol shrugged and pulled her into hold again. “I suppose we should make this next dance our last. Truly tragic, I know, but on the upside, Nik looks furious.”

Caroline didn’t know how to deal with that statement. Instead, she took a deep breath and let him lead her once more. The song seemed to last forever. She followed as best she could, but Kol was wild.

When the band slowed after their third dance, she yanked her hands from his and curtsied long before the last note of music had been played. It only seemed to make Kol grin wider, and with a gentle nod to her, he turned away.

Caroline headed straight to the refreshment table, draining a glass of water in record time as the next song started. When she’d finally caught her breath enough to face the crowds, she picked up a flute of champagne and turned to return - somewhat gratefully - to her corner.

People were looking at her. Not just a few either, but whole groups had turned in her direction. As she began to walk around the edge of the dancefloor, most had the decency to look away. Others did not.

She was weaving in and out of the rabble when, on her left hand side, there was a set of eyes she couldn’t ignore. She knew it was Klaus before she met his gaze, but it stole the air from her lungs all the same.

He stood in a loose circle, though she didn’t recognise any of the people surrounding him. As she slowed her step to walk past, she caught their conversation.

“Your Highness, will you be asking any ladies to dance tonight? Maria here is light on her feet, she won-”

“No.”

His voice was hard and cold, but still the older gentleman persisted, “-she won the Orleans Championship down at the-”

“I said no.”

Caroline walked a little quicker, turning her head away as a pretty brunette stepped closer to him.

“Your Highn-?”

“Lady Caroline?” his voice cut through the chatter.

Caroline stopped in her tracks and turned to find his entire group looking at her, some with curiosity, some with irritation. Klaus however, looked relieved when he stepped forwards.

“If you’ll all excuse me, Lady Caroline promised me a dance.”

While it was unlike Klaus to ever offer such manners to strangers, Caroline didn’t point it out until he had taken her champagne and set it on a nearby table.

As a familiar hand led her to the dancefloor, she couldn’t help initiating a little tease.

“I don’t actually remember promising you a dance, Your Highness?”

“No? Pity that.”

As they started to dance, she replayed his brother’s comments in her mind. Klaus was possessive, yes. But jealous? Over her?

“May I say, you look ravishing in that dress.”

Caroline fought the smile which threatened to spread. His smirk told her that she’d lost. “Thank you. Your brother said something similar.”

That dig earned a full chuckle.

“Ah yes, my dearest brothers. Always willing to inflict such painful torture on me.”

“On you? Believe me, dancing with Kol is the true torture.”

“Perhaps, or perhaps it is seeing you in the arms of another.”

Were it not for the smirk curling his lips, Caroline would have taken his tone seriously. “Seems like you had plenty of acquaintances to keep you company,” she said tilting her head in the direction of the group he once stood with.

“Acquaintances? They are strangers at best, imbeciles at worst.”

She rolled her eyes. “Would it kill you to be nice? I know this isn’t enjoyable for you, but the council expect you to marry. That’s going to be difficult if you scare off every eligible maiden in the land.”

“I already told you, I shan’t be taking a wife.”

“It’s not going to end just because you refuse, Klaus. It won’t end until you marry. The suitors, the balls, Elijah will always have a string of allies looking for someone to wed their daughters and-”

“Caroline,” he had interrupted sharply, “if I am to only have one dance with you tonight, please do not waste it arguing with me.”

While she had plenty more to say on the matter, she too wanted to enjoy the moment.

Dancing with him was so familiar. His hands did not wander. The fingers that curved around her waist were respectful. His gaze remained on her face. It was predictable and gentlemanly - a welcome change from Kol’s antics.

As they moved, she took in the fine cut of his cheekbones, the softness of unstyled curls, the intensity behind his eyes. Was this the last time she’d get to dance with him? Surely the council wouldn’t wait until the next ball to have him married off. Married men didn’t dance with their mistresses.

She tried to enjoy that dance, but she hated the way that it felt so final. With every 8-count of music that passed, she felt as though her heart was breaking in two.

The end came all too soon. With the last note of the melody, Caroline curtseyed and tried to mask the growing sadness.

When she met his gaze, Klaus looked just as lost as she felt. He hid it quickly, pulling her by the hands from the dancefloor.

“Come, after five dances you must be warm?” he had said, “a walk in the garden should cool you off.”

At the time, it hadn’t even registered that he’d kept count.

Caroline should have refused and told him that it was his duty to find an amicable wife in the hall - that’s what her mother would have wanted her to do.

That’s what her duty _called_ on her to do.

She didn’t.

The vibrant melodies which played inside became muted and soft as they wandered along the garden paths.

“So,” Klaus had said, “are you having a good night?”

“It’s a beautiful party,” Caroline replied. “I wasn’t ready for so much dancing. I’d have worn better shoes had I known.”

“Would you like a piggyback?”

“From you? Never.”

“You may come to regret that, my lady. The night is young and there are dances still to be had.”

Caroline rolled her eyes, “you forget that I am, in the eyes of many, spoken for.”

Together, they had strolled the pebbled path until they reached the fountain. There, he turned and sat on its edge. She’d done the same, taking the spot just next to him.

The cool air was nice, and yes, just what she needed after suffering dance after dance in the heat of the hall.

While the palace was well lit, the gardens were dark and shadowy. Figures loomed close to the ballroom doors and out onto the veranda, but from what Caroline could see, none had ventured into the gardens.

Just as she was admiring the symmetry of the planting work, Klaus spoke softly. “Does it bother you?”

“Sometimes. Not much. Not usually.”

His face was only partially lit by the palace illuminations, but she could make out his frown well enough.

As the quiet stretched around them, Caroline sighed and turned back to the gardens. It was easier to be honest then, when it didn’t feel as though he could see into her soul.

“I keep thinking about what’ll happen to me, when you’re married. I don’t have many men asking for dances as it is. It will be even less when you can’t be seen with me.”

“You seem to have caught the King’s eye just fine.”

“Yes well, small mercies.”

“I shan’t be married, Caroline,” he had said with such conviction, “I know you think that the council can force my hand, but they cannot. You have nothing to fear.”

Caroline wanted so badly to believe him.

“I am sorry though, for what our… association has done to you.”

“It was my choice,” she had murmured, “you have nothing to apologise for.”

“But I do. You are so beautiful, Caroline. I know you had options before me… I’m regretful for the damage that I’ve done to your good name.”

She hadn’t known how to react at first, so turned herself to graze her fingers in the cool water of the fountain behind them. “I didn’t know you cared.”

“I care,” he replied softly, “though I find myself selfish for your company. I’m glad that you are spoken for, even if it’s in rumour alone. I didn’t enjoy seeing you dance with my brothers. I imagine it would have been even worse to see you with a stranger.”

“I don’t think I’d enjoy watching you dance with strangers either.” The confession had come easily, but Caroline felt the guilt straight after. It was her duty to play the part, but it was his duty to be the Crown Prince - to stay alive in case anything were to happen to Elijah, to produce heirs in case the King had none of his own.

Given that the King was older by the day and still very much single, it was no wonder the council were piling on the pressure. There would be no heirs without a wife. Despite her aching heart, Caroline knew what must be done. “There was one maiden who made you smile, would you not want to dance with her?”

“The blonde?”

He had replied so quickly, that her heart sank further. Perhaps it showed on her face, because Klaus quickly added, “she didn’t make me smile, sweetheart. I was just struck by her attempt to style herself in your manner.”

“Oh.”

Come to think of it, the lady had had blonde curls, and a dress which (had Caroline been able to afford it) could have been in her wardrobe.

“You seem to think that I will go back on my words, love, but I do not enjoy mingling with strangers. I would much rather spend my time dancing with you.”

“ _When_ you choose a wife, you won’t have to play nice with strangers. You can spend all your time dancing with her.”

“Could I choose you?”

Caroline’s heart lurched. Her gaze snapped to his. When she found nothing but sincerity there she could hardly bear it. To be given false hope hurt, but she couldn’t be angry at him for touching a nerve he didn’t know existed.

And so, with her heart beating double time, she replied, “I beg, Your Highness, please don’t say things like that.”

“Why not?”

“Because I am not-” she gasped, “-you can’t-”

And god, it hurt. Not just the hope, but the burning frustration because he couldn’t _see_. He couldn’t see the bleakness of her world without him, the loneliness which would come when her mother passed, the agony of serving his family while he made a new before her eyes. Her chest was tight, her breath stuttering. She didn’t want to cry, but her eyes welled regardless.

“Caroline?!” Klaus shifted closer to her. His fingers wiped at her cheeks and broke the tear tracks when he held her still. She’d seen the look on his face just once before, when he had finally stopped sobbing after Mikael had died. It was a kind of vulnerability which Klaus didn’t show willingly. “Surely you must know by now?”

“Know wh-”

“Your Highness?!”

The sharp call had bit through the night like a chill. Klaus stood then, shielding her from their onlooker. “Lord Saltzman,” he had snapped in a perfect impression of his irritable persona.

“Come inside, Your Highness. There is someone I wish to introduce to you. Now, if you will,” the elder’s tone left little room for argument. Had the Lord not been a council member, Klaus certainly would have given one.

As it was, he turned back to Caroline.

Gone was the openness from before, replaced instead with wide eyes and a tight jaw.

“It’s fine,” Caroline croaked, wiping her face before standing up herself. How silly of her, to even entertain the idea that he’d choose her when he had a ballroom full of beautiful maidens. “Go.”

Klaus had considered her for a moment, before bowing his head. “I will find you later, yes?”

It sounded like a promise. She nodded.. In truth, they had both been away from the ball for too long already.

Klaus turned and walked away, hardly flinching when the Lord had slapped him on the shoulder and led him with a firm hand back to the party. Caroline watched for a few seconds before following them. It wasn’t wise to be a young maiden alone in the dark.

As she followed, she tried not to listen to their murmurings. Klaus was quiet, but the Lord was now at least an hour into his mingling, and thus an hour into his drinking.

They had been at the edge of the garden when, stepping up onto the veranda, she had heard Alaric. It came in bits and pieces, but she understood him well enough.

“-wandering the gardens with one of your previous conquests!?”

“ -shame on you, on the family name and of course on that of the King-”

“-come now, let us find you a more refined woman to give your attention, yes?-”

Caroline would never forget the feeling of her heart dropping down to her stomach.

Bad enough, to know who they were talking about. Worse still, to feel the eyes on her skin once more as the crowds took in their arrival. She hadn’t been the only person to overhear.

Her chest had been tight in frustration, but then humiliation too. She held herself together until she had entered the ballroom and promptly left through the double doors.

She had felt the tears welling in her eyes then. Panic came, and she marched beyond the party-goers as quickly as she could before running up the stairs.

The palace was huge, the journey to her quarters long, but she kept running. After the crowd dissipated, there was nothing. She had run through empty corridors, passing lone guards who - thankfully - made no comment.

She hadn’t stopped until she was back in her bedroom. With the door shut behind her, Caroline let it all crash down. As she stripped off her makeup, she had sobbed. Her dress had been removed in exchange for the softest nightclothes she had, and her hair style pulled out painfully in her exasperation.

Caroline had climbed into bed and soaked her pillow with tears that night.

“Caroline?” Klaus’ sharp tone snaps her out of the daydream.

She blinks rapidly, glancing up at him again. Under them, the carriage hits a particularly big pothole and the ensuing bounce has her shooting her hands out, one to the side wall and one to well... him.

“I was saying, you don’t seem thrilled at another opportunity to see me in all my glory. Perhaps that’s because you don’t want to just _see_ it?”

“Gross!” she snaps, recoiling her touch as though he burned her.

She could hear the smile in his teasing tone, “ah, so you can talk! I was afraid you had slipped back into your old ways.”

Caroline mentally berates herself for acting so strangely. Her hand drifts over the pocket of her dress, feeling the thick stone of the ring beneath the fabric.

“Those were the good old days,” she rebutts, “you didn’t complain as much.”

Klaus chuckles, “I complained plenty, just not to you. Is something bothering you, sweetheart?”

Caroline bites her lip and wrestles her anxiety into something resembling a grimace. “I’ve just realised my mother has seen you naked.”

Klaus snorts. “Yes. Many times, in fact. Is it something you bond over?”

“What, our mutual desire to wash our eyeballs with bleach?”

“Your shared admiration of my physique.”

“No. Funnily enough, it’s never come up in conversation. Unlike your complete lack of decorum, which comes up quite often.”

“So as you were saying, the good old days. Total silence. No communication between us at all. Let’s revisit them.”

Caroline laughs. It feels foreign to her and the smile slips from her face all too soon.

Their first carriage ride had been silent from start to finish. Caroline had glued her cheek to the window while he had scowled straight ahead for two hours.

It had been fine. The night had been bitterly cold, but she had long since learned charms to keep her warm and content. Sleep had been off the cards. The animals around were too active, and with each snap of a twig she had been sure that Klaus (in werewolf form) would come to savage her. She had stayed up all night. Back then there had been a few tears for what was about to happen to her reputation, but by the time morning came she had sobered herself to the harsh reality. There was no going back.

Then to make things worse, he had presented himself in the nude. Klaus had made himself the first - and only - man she had ever seen naked. She had blushed then, red both with his teasing and his indecency.

Then he had pulled his clothes on and it had only gotten worse.

When Liz had first tried to give her the sex talk, Caroline had put her hands over her ears and hummed a fine tune. At 21, she had known how sex worked (at least, in theory) for a long while. She understood her duty and had known fine well that, to everyone who saw them that morning, they had to appear completely satisfied in that department.

Still, the theory of it hadn’t prepared her to set the scene. She had left it until the last possible minute when they stood by the road and waited for the carriage to come and take them home.

At the time Caroline had cursed herself for not listening to everything her mother had (very awkwardly) tried to explain, because in that moment, she had to think about it for herself.

Without asking questions, Caroline had stepped closer and reached for him. With quick fingers she had rumbled his jacket collar, popped a button on his shirt, and undone most of his work in tucking it in.

“Can I do you now?” he had asked.

“I’ll do myself!” she squeaked as she pulled out her hair, shaking it from the neat braid she’d worn overnight.

“Perhaps you should loosen your bodice a little.”

It had taken every bit of Caroline’s control not to elbow him in the gut.

“I could leave marks, you know. Just here?” his fingers had stroked at her neck.

That was the move that earned him the elbow.

Yes, they’d come a long way.

In her nostalgia, Caroline turns her head to study the Prince’s profile. He is a handsome man, of that there was no question. And her friend, too. Her best friend - the only one she has. Those words don’t seem to do him justice now.

She’s caught herself daydreaming about him being something more - if his kisses were not for show, or his gifts leading to a proper courtship.

He probably thinks of her as he does Rebekah.

Try as she might, Caroline just can’t come to accept it.

In fact, Caroline spends a great deal of time berating herself for feeling as she does. She’s let her heart get the better of her. It has betrayed her duty for a fantasy that could never come to pass.

As she studies the shape of his lips, she can still feel the way they had lingered on her skin last month.

After he had helped her down from the carriage, they had said goodbye, her to sleep and him to shower. While he usually kissed her hand or even her wrist if he was feeling particularly frisky, last month he had pulled her right against him and buried his face in her neck.

She could feel people looking and didn’t care one bit. His lips had pushed up against skin. It was slow and soft and had her weak at the knees. Caroline had shut her eyes as he made his way up to kiss her jaw and then her cheek.

“Goodbye, love.”

The way he held on had felt as though he didn’t want to let go. That’s what Caroline had thought at the time. But then he had, and he had left her standing there in the courtyard.

Just as she is reliving her disappointment, Klaus turns his head and reads her face.

“You’re acting strangely today. Are you okay?”

“Fine. Just thinking about Rebekah’s courtship. How is she?”

“Fine,” he replies suspiciously.

Rebekah was not a subject either of them particularly liked to discuss. To Klaus, she was golden - the only sister he’d had the chance to meet and the only sibling who required his protection. To Caroline, she was a nightmare.

As the only living princess, Rebekah had grown up with a level of popularity unfathomable to most young women. The other ladies of the court followed her around like shadows. When Caroline had first moved into the palace, she thought that perhaps they would be friends. That all changed when Rebekah had made a snide comment about her dress in the dining hall. Once she had been marked as an undesirable, the other ladies wouldn’t go near Caroline for fear of Bekah’s wrath. When she started leaving with the Prince, it had only gotten worse.

“Ignore her,” Klaus had muttered to her one day as they read in the library, “she’s just jealous because I prefer your company to hers.”

And Caroline had - for the most part - been able to ignore the biting remarks Rebekah would shoot in her direction whenever she was near. While the other ladies were afraid of her power, Bekah knew fine well that Caroline couldn’t hurt her without answering to the King.

After Mikael’s death and Klaus’ breakdown, Rebekah had breathed the quietest ‘thank you’ when Caroline had calmed him. So quiet in fact, that she thought she’d imagined it. But in the months since, Caroline had noticed a marked difference in Rebekah. Sure, the ladies still whispered as she walked past, and sometimes Bekah would call out an insult, but when she saw her out alone, there was nothing. She’d simply pretend that Caroline did not exist.

Caroline could live with that.

“I heard that she’s not best pleased with her newest suitor?”

“She is not.”

That much was clear - Rebekah has done little but mope around the palace since the night of the ball.

“She’s in love with someone else,” Caroline says softly, watching as the sky turns red and the sun begins to set. The sight sent her heart pounding again.

They were getting close.

“Rebekah fancies a different man every week. She’ll fall for St. John soon enough.”

Caroline hates his tone. “And if she does not?”

“She will. It is her duty.”

“To be traded as currency?”

“To make the kingdom stronger.”

“And what of yours, then? Will you fall in love too, if it’s asked of you?”

She is expecting anger, but instead Klaus chuckles. “How did you hear of Rebekah’s courtship? You don’t hear anything,” he teases.

That much is true. Ostracised from the ladies of the court and ignored by the guards, Caroline usually learns of the castle gossip from Klaus himself.

These last few weeks, she’d found herself turning to her mother or listening keenly for whispers.

That was how she’d learned of the urgency the council felt for Klaus’ marriage. Three years after Caroline had moved into the palace, the Prince’s reluctance to take a wife instead of a mistress was driving the council mad. Not just any mistress, but one with magic. Caroline knew her mother would have tried to calm the situation, but sorceresses were feared, not respected.

“Some allies have expressed… discomfort at the situation,” her mother would tell her at the dinner table. “The council would feel more secure if the Prince were to take a wife as soon as possible.”

Her only comfort that night had been that Liz seemed as hurt by the comments as she was.

It was from overhearing the gossipping guards that she learned of the pretty brunette from the ball who Elijah had asked to stay for a while - the one who had charmed both brothers.

That was why she had tried so hard to avoid Klaus ever since. It wasn’t always possible, but Klaus had his own duties to attend to and she tried to be out of palace grounds whenever he had spare time in his schedule. She had desperately wanted to avoid seeing them together.

Caroline had spent three weeks trying not to think about it, and the best distraction she could find was the moonlight ring. It was complex enough to take up a great number of her waking hours, and the magic exhausting enough to let her sleep at night.

It was a good distraction at the time, but as she sits in the carriage with the ring in her pocket, she suddenly regrets having worked so quickly.

What would she do when they returned to the castle tomorrow morning, when he went off to court his new suitor? What would distract her then?

The ring had been her obsession in the weeks since the ball. If it works, it will be the end. The end of their trips, of his resistance to marry, of the moments of happiness she had come to enjoy around him.

If it works, the ring will end it all.

The sun is setting. Their carriage approaches the edge of the forest.

“Caroline?”

“Yes?”

“I asked how you knew of Rebekah’s courtship?”

There is a bittersweet taste to her words, “perhaps I am more well-informed than you think.” She does not want to fight with him, but the anxiety makes her prickly.

“I do not doubt that, though I’d hoped for an answer that would explain your distraction.”

Caroline sighs and leans her head back against the wall. It is time. She can feel his hand take her own. She does not stop him. She does not want to stop him. She should.

“Caroline. Look at me. Tell me what is bothering you.”

“I have something for you,” she breathes. When she opens her eyes, his gaze is more concerned than she’d like. “You must promise not to get your hopes up, because I don’t know if it works. I need you to try it for me.”

“Something magic?” he guesses, squeezing her palm.

Caroline nods.

“What is it?”

“Promise me first.”

“I promise.”

Of course he promises. Of course he puts blind faith in her. What if she lets him down? What if she doesn’t?

She reaches into her pocket and holds the ring between them.

His eyes drop down to it, brow creasing in his confusion.

“I’ve been calling it a moonlight ring. I think it might… I tried to make it stop you from having to change. If you don’t want to.”

His eyes meet hers, and goddammit, why does he have to look at her like that.

“Why?”

“You think yourself a monster because you cannot control the beast. Perhaps there is a way that you can.”

“Caroline, I-”

“Your Highness!” the footman calls from the front. Caroline flinches at the intrusion. “We have arrived.”

The carriage has stopped. Caroline pulls her hand from his and pushes the ring into it instead. The door is opened and she is grateful for the escape. She needs fresh air, something to cool the heat in her cheeks.

She ignores the way the footman’s eyes linger on her body.

Klaus steps down too and entwines their hands together. The cool metal band around his index finger is a welcome distraction. She doesn’t look at him as they walk down the path. The forest is shaded and dark, though the sky above is still purple with the last of the light.

She can’t bring herself to look at him, even when he lifts her hand to kiss it.

“Thank you,” he murmurs against her skin.

They walk further. Eventually, they diverge from the path and walk through the trees.

“Will you try it?” she asks as he helps her navigate the tree roots.

“Of course.”

“I’m sorry, if it doesn’t work.”

“Don’t apologise to me. You didn’t have to do this.”

Caroline nods. Sooner than she’d have liked, they come to the clearing. The sun has set and the sky is getting darker by the minute.

She wants to stay with him just a little longer. He’s still holding her hand when they stop in the centre. As though he can read her mind, he pulls her close.

Caroline doesn’t know why he indulges her like this, but she’s selfish for it. She snakes her hands around his head and buries her face in the crook of his neck. He smells divine. He always does the night of a full moon.

They stay like that, him making loose patterns with his fingertips on her back, her trying to savour the feeling. Eventually, the sky is pitch black and she knows she has stayed past her time.

“I have to go,” she murmurs against his skin, “be safe.”

Just as Caroline hits the treeline, she risks a glance over her shoulder. He has faced away from her with his jacket discarded on the ground. His shirt is next.

She catches a glimpse of pale skin before moving away.

Smart of him, to assume that it wouldn’t work - she had stopped bringing a spare set of clothes for him long ago and he’d have nothing to wear on the journey home if he tore his own apart.

The path she takes is familiar, just a thin section of the undergrowth cleared away when her mother had first made the trip. The animals which have stirred stay well away from the area so she walks in silence.

Caroline is long past crying over the repercussions of her position. She’s had three years to come to terms with the fact that she’ll never marry - even if she did find a man who didn’t mind the Prince’s castoffs, the chances of her loving him were close to non-existent. Better to be alone than with the wrong man - something she learned first-hand from watching her mother.

She comes to her mark - a fallen hawthorn far enough away from the clearing to be safe. She closes her eyes and allows herself a moment of pity before settling down to warm up her magic. Soon, she is lost in her practice.

The next time she looks up, the forest is dark but for where the moonlight reaches through the trees.

There is an uncomfortable twisting in her stomach, but she stands and begins the walk back to the clearing anyway.

Caroline stays light on her feet, trying as best she can to avoid freshly dropped branches. She moves quickly. In the quiet, everything seems so loud - the rustle of her dress, the beating of her heart, the sound of her breath. The darkness casts terrifying shadows and every single month she tells herself not to look, and then does.

She’s not really scared, but the hush is unsettling and the dark has always been known to hide horrors. Once her mind has picked its terror, it follows her. Every cracking leaf is a monster moving closer and closer. It’s stupid. She knows it is. But she can’t stop when she’s in the spiral.

It hardly even registers when she makes it to the clearing. It takes a second, but then her heart is hammering for a different reason.

“Klaus?!” she calls.

He’s there. The pale of his skin half-illuminated, half shadowed. His head is tilted back, face towards the moon.

Has she come too early?

She freezes. He turns.

He’s fast in his strides.

For a second she’s terrified that she’s wrong.

He’s close now. Too close for her to run.

She hesitates. He does not.

“Caroline,” he breathes, just before he catches her.

She’s off her feet. Off her feet, and in his arms.

It’s everything.

Klaus’ arms band around her waist, hers around his neck. Their bodies are so tight, she can feel the heat radiating off him in waves. He’s always warm, far hotter than a normal human. Under her hands is just skin. Just the bareness of his back and his chest pressed against hers. He smells like himself. He’s gentle with her.

When he sets her on her feet, her hands slide down his chest. Later she’ll blame her lack of reaction on the adrenaline, but that’s not true. Caroline can see him now. She can see how his eyes aren’t vicious and golden like she knows they should be.

Then he’s cradling her face with his hands. The last thing on her mind is moving even an inch. “You are magnificent!” he cries with reverence.

Perhaps then it _really is_ the adrenaline, but Caroline laughs. It’s loud, unfiltered and rings through the clearing.

_It worked._

All those hours charming and then un-charming layers upon layers and finally this. On her first try.

For a moment, she thinks he’s going to kiss her. She hates herself for wanting him too.

Her hand slides up his wrist to pull it down. Even in the darkness, the stone gleams.

“I can’t believe you kept this from me. You really are the most clever person I’ve ever met,” Klaus mutters.

“I didn’t want to get your hopes up.”

“You made that quite clear earlier.”

Caroline chuckles again, but this time it falls away quickly.

 _It worked._ The feeling was both magnificent and dreadful.

“I’ll make you another,” she finds herself promising, as though another ring will keep her distracted for any more than a few weeks, “a spare, in case anything should happen to this.”

She’s forced to look up at him. His eyes sparkle when he smiles like that. God, she wishes he’d show more people this side.

They’re still so close. He’s still so naked.

She can feel herself blushing.

She’s about to squeak at him to put his clothes on, then realises that there is no point.

Klaus doesn’t seem to notice at all. He’s staring at her. “What now?” he says quietly.

It really does break her heart, how gentle he can be. She’s done the right thing. She knows she has, but it stabs her all the same.

It takes a deep breath to calm herself enough to say the words, “now you can go and run as you please. Then after that, you can choose a wife, have as many children as you like and never have to worry about this curse. I’ll make rings for them too, as many as you want.”

“Caroline…”

She can’t stand it when he says her name like that. “I’ll go. Just take it off and set it with your things. I’ll keep it safe till the morning.”

“Why would I want to do that?”

“Because… you like being a wolf?”

Caroline really wants to make fun of the way he tilts his head like a confused puppy.

Instead, she just tries a smile, “you’re always so happy when you come back in the morning.”

This time it’s his turn to laugh.

What a sound it is.

Her smile is real this time, “I didn’t mean to stop you changing, I just wanted to give you a choice in the matter.”

“Caroline. I’m not happy in the morning because I like being a wolf. I am happy in the morning because I get to come back to you.”

Caroline freezes for a second, then flinches as though she’s been hurt. It _does_ hurt, it twists her stomach and squeezes her heart. It never used to be like this. She used to be able to roll her eyes and shut him down, but now she just… can’t.

“Your Highness, I asked you to stop saying things like that.”

“And I asked _you_ why?”

There are so many reasons, but the first one that comes to mind is, “because you are courting another woman!”

“I am not,” his tone is flippant. It’s the same tone he uses with servants and knights and _god,_ it’s annoying.

“Yes, you are!” she snaps back. Caroline can feel the heat rising both in her cheeks and her chest. She doesn’t want to fight with him, but she’s been so frustrated for weeks and hearing him lie has it bubbling to the surface. “The brunette from the ball?! No one in the palace has shut up about it!”

“Elena,” he corrects, “I think you have misunderstood. My brother is courting Elena. On the occasion that he cannot be near, I must watch over her as Crown Prince. I am not courting her, nor do I wish to.”

“Oh.”

“Were you jealous?”

 _Yes._ “Of course not. I’d just like prior warning before you get engaged and I’m cast out like an old spinster!”

“That won’t happen.”

Caroline rolls her eyes, but inside she’s broken. Not just frustrated anymore, but embarrassed too.

Klaus tries to touch her arms, but Caroline steps away.

“It won’t,” he repeats.

She doesn’t cry often, but when she does it’s at the most inopportune times. Caroline blinks back tears and swallows the hiccupping of her breath. She can’t hide how her voice breaks, though. “Who do they want you to marry, then?”

“Is that what’s upsetting you, love?”

How can a person do that? Be so sharp one second and so sweet the next. If it had come from anyone else, it’d have felt like whiplash. With him, it never did.

“Who do the council want you to marry?”

“The council?”

“Yes! The council!” she hisses. Her voice cracks again. He must know that she’s crying now. What’s the point in hiding it? “My mother! Lady Fell and Lady Lockwood! Lord Saltzman!?”

“I don’t know.”

“Don’t lie to me, Klaus! I heard him the night of the ball.”

Caroline has seen Klaus angry many times. Never has it scared her like it does then. His nostrils flare and his jaw sets tight, but when he speaks, it is as cool and calm as you could imagine. That’s what makes it so deadly. “My future will not be decided by the council.”

There is something inside which just says _keep going, break it._ So she does. “Give it up already! I know you don’t think I hear things, but I do! I know you’re going to marry soon, I just thought that you’d have the guts to be honest about it!”

“I have been honest with you, Caroline. The council have not made this decision for me. You forget that my brother is the king. He has left the decision in _my_ hands. I shan’t be forced into a marriage because some _elder_ has decided so.”

“So why won’t you just tell me?!”

“Because I shan’t marry anyone who isn’t you!”

It feels as though she has been doused in ice water. Her mouth is probably hanging open, but she can’t move. She can’t breath.

When Klaus speaks again, he’s more measured. “I know that you didn’t ask for this and I know that you are here out of duty alone, but I cannot change how I feel.”

The last words have Caroline jolting. Her eyes are wide.

It’s so quiet again. The forest is silent, but for the pounding of her heart.

She can’t help herself, “how do you feel about me?”

“Caroline.”

_Surely you must know by now._

Her breathing picks up now. It plays over and over in her mind. _Surely you must know by now._

“Tell me.”

They stare for a minute.

Her heart is in her mouth.

“I have tried to stop thinking about you, and I can’t. I have looked at plenty of maidens in my time, Caroline. None hold a candle to you. I know that you may not enjoy hearing my affections, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t there.” He’s so gentle now. Christ, he’s always so gentle with her. Her face must give her away. “You didn’t know?”

Caroline can’t manage anything but a shake of her head. She doesn’t know what she feels, bar the numbing shock of it.

“How could you not? Everyone can see it - the knights, the council, my family.”

“Your family?!” she whispers.

“My family has done nothing but sing your praises these last few months. None more so than Elijah. He told me to ask for your hand weeks ago.”

It takes a second for Caroline to gasp. _Elijah_. The ball. The dance. It was all because...

“Why didn’t you?”

“I tried. You told me not to. I understand that you don’t feel the same, b-”

“I do. Feel the same,” she interrupts.

“You cannot.”

“I’ve been trying to ignore it.”

“You asked me over and over who I’d take for a wife?!”

“I thought you didn’t want… You keep saying…?”

“I do not want anyone who isn’t you! Christ, Caroline. I thought that you were trying to disqualify yourself.”

Caroline felt her heart soar. “No! I kept thinking about what it’d be like when you went off and had fifty babies and left me. I just wanted to know when it would happen - it’s not like I hear anything from the palace!? And then there’s my duty to the kingdom which I’ve royally screwed up now because all I can think about is you! And then there’s your-”

She stops. Klaus has stepped towards her, pulled her body against his and shushed her with a finger on her lips. For just a second, it’s all frozen. The forest is silent and time stands still.

The next, her hands are cradling his face and he bends to meet her. When his lips press against hers, Caroline melts.

His hands pull her closer. The brush of her lips over his is tentative. She can feel stubble beneath her fingers, but it’s not enough. One hand brushes past his ear, combing through his hair. With the other, she strokes down. His skin is smooth and hot, the muscles in his arm flex under her fingertips.

He lets her lead, slow and soft. His hands are around her waist, coaxing her closer and closer until she’s arched against his chest. Caroline’s head is dizzy with the feel of him. She grows bolder, more daring. Her tongue licks at his bottom lip. His groan is delicious, even more so when he licks into her mouth.

The taste of him is everything. It’s three years waiting for a moment, and it being better than she had ever imagined.

She knows she’s smiling and tries to craft it into something better suited for kissing. She can’t. Neither can he. Instead he brushes his nose against hers and dots a playful trail of pecks down her neck until she squeals.

Then he comes back and kisses her again. Caroline’s not sure she’ll ever stop smiling.

Sometime later, after she has declined the (many) invitations to shed her dress, she manages to persuade him to put his clothes on again.

They’re sitting against a tree on the edge of the clearing. Him with his back to it, and her between his legs, leaning against his chest. Klaus had pulled her down and settled his arms around her waist, and well, he was really comfy, okay? Besides, with his freakishly hot temperature - _werewolf thing_ , he assured her when she grew concerned - she hardly needs the warming charms she usually uses to get through the night. She casts them anyway, just to show off.

The full moon is still high, and Caroline doesn’t think she’s ever been happier to see it. They’ve been still for a while. It’s easy to doze, and she allows herself a few minutes of calm. They have many hours til dawn.

Sometimes he presses soft kisses against her temple, sometimes she returns them against the backs of his hands. She still hasn’t stopped smiling.

“So now what?” she whispers, tangling her fingers with his own.

His breath tickles her ear. “A shower, breakfast, a nap. Perhaps this afternoon you’d like to visit the stables?”

“I meant for the next five hours.”

Klaus smiles too, she can hear it in his tone, “what do you usually do alone?”

“Read, daydream, practice magic. Nothing which is acceptable in polite company.”

“Polite company is overrated.”

“Good thing you’re never polite then.”

“I’m wounded.”

“You’ll live.”

His chuckle shakes her shoulders, “oh how I long for the days when you would bite your tongue rather than use it against me.”

“Yes well, you only have your unparalleled ability to irritate to thank for that,” Caroline grins back. It’s brilliant, being wrapped up in him. Really, it is. And yet she can hardly help but give him an out. “Though if you are regretting your admission, I’m sure there is a long list of maidens who would at least tolerate you in exchange for keys to the kingdom.”

“All so dull.” He’s shifting underneath her, untangling his hands until he can put enough distance between them to turn her face to his, “I like it when there is more to a woman than just being a lady.”

“And am I not one of those?”

“A lady?” he breathes, brushing his lips against her own, “would a lady be seen so close to me? It’d be quite the scandal.”

“Best not be caught then.”

“Indeed.” Klaus kisses her until her skin tingles. Then he pulls back and his fingers caress her cheek. “You put those maidens to shame, sweetheart. You are much more.”

“I’m a maiden in everything but reputation,” Caroline corrects with a raised eyebrow.

“I could change that, if you’d like?”

The outrage on her face shatters the sincerity. “Klaus!” she yelps.

“Is that a no?”

“Yes!”

“Yes?”

“No!”

He tightens his arms around her and presses sweet kisses to her head when she squirms away. “It was you who needed entertainment.”

“Five hours of it, not five minutes.”

That draws a sharp laugh, loud and carefree, “I accept your challenge and I look forward to proving you very wrong, my lady.”

It’s different now. Now that she knows how he tastes and how his body feels pressed up against hers when no one’s around. It’s different. Caroline is quite sure she’s the colour of a beetroot.

Still, if she snuggles back into his arms it’s no one’s business but their own. “Oh, so I’m a lady now?”

“Always.”

“If you were serious-”

“I am.” She rolls her eyes at his tone. “Not about that. About me-”

“You doubt me? I have not lied to you yet, Caroline. Not ever.”

The urge to snap at him for interrupting is there, but she finds herself reluctant to bite when he’s watching her so closely. Instead she asks, “so what now?”

His fingertips dance along her jaw. “Look at me.”

She does. Klaus is so close, she could stretch her neck and kiss him. Perhaps that’s on his mind too, since his focus seems to dart to her lips. There are dark shadows covering much of his face, but his eyes are still bright.

When he speaks, it’s slow, like he’s thinking very hard about each word he chooses. “If it is my duty to marry, then I will do it...”

Caroline feels her heart begin to pound.

She sits up quite quickly, pulling out of his grasp so that she can turn around to look at him properly.

The second their eyes meet again, Klaus smirks.

“I would like it to be you.”

It takes a second for her to fully understand it. Not quite a proposal, but halfway there. Just like he’d offered her halfway in the garden, though she couldn’t see it at the time. Caroline likes the direction, but she doesn’t like halfway.

“So sure I’d say yes?”

“Would you? It is perhaps not the life you had envisioned, but I think we could make quite the pair.”

“No,” she breathes back.

This time it’s him who looks crestfallen. It’s not something she sees often, the wide eyes, the tight jaw, the painful raw sting he lets bleed onto his features.

Caroline moves closer then. “Not if you asked me now,” she clarifies, and tries a tiny smile.

Klaus lets her thread her fingers through his hair, but doesn’t move to touch her.

“And if I asked you again in the morning?”

“Still no,” she grins. It’s not often that Caroline gets one up on Klaus, but she loves the feeling. Her heart bursts at the way his eyes follow every little move she makes. It’s quite intoxicating. “When I marry, I’d like it to be for love, not convenience,” she starts slowly. Klaus opens his mouth to interrupt her, but Caroline quietens him with a sharp shake of her head. “I want romance. I want a courtship like any other. I want flower deliveries and teas and walks in the garden. Maybe a little dancing too. And I want people to know that it’s a courtship.”

Even in the darkness, she can see his dimples make an appearance. He has the _audacity_ to sigh at her, but his hands wind around her waist and pull her back to him all the same. “Anything else?”

“Yes,” she starts, though it’s really just quick thinking to keep that twinkle in his eye. “I want you to ask my mother. And if you’re still serious, then I want you to take my hand and get down on one knee. Regardless of what everyone thinks, I’m still a maiden and I would like to be treated as such.”

When she’s finished, he’s grinning wide. He eyes her with such a rare fondness, she really can’t resist pulling his lips against hers again.

It’s hardly maiden-like, but her reputation is long past saving anyway.

Besides, Klaus kisses like she’s the most desirable thing in the world.

Caroline shivers when he cuts it short. Her skin is alight and she’s hyper aware of his hands on her waist. His eyes are dark, his hair messy. He spares her just a tiny smirk before kissing her again, just a sweet thing this time. Caroline lets him tuck her up against his chest.

She’s still smiling when his lips brush against her hair.

“You’ll have it all, love.”

**Author's Note:**

> Do we need a Part 3? Let me know in the comments! 
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr at euvixen. You can also come and hang out with us in the Klaroline Discord server where this fic was born!
> 
> Massive thanks to Yokan for the encouragement, permission to write this, and kindness when I asked 700 questions about her work. I'm obsessed with you.


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